Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-15
KISSANE YET A TOPIC.
Mr. JOHN TAPPAN TELLS OF THE BURNING
or THE MARTHA WASHINGTON,
FOr Which Conspiracy Kissans Was Sent to Sing
Sng-hs Partths Insurance Companies Play
e-An Interview With KisSahc in Sing
Sing-His Confession.


Billy Kissane seems destined to as long
run in the newspapers as Jim, the PEN
man." has had on the stage The Herald
this morning says: "As Mr.. VIM. M.
Eyeretts, one of the persons who received
VIM. Kissane's confession of guilt IN the
burning of the steamer Martha Washing
ton, cannot recall the circumstances of the
confession, it has been doubted by some
persons whether such a confession really
made. There were three persons besides
Kissane present when the latter wrote out
his confession, namely: Mr.. EVeretts, Mr..
John Tappan, OF this city, for many years
secretary of the New York Board OF Under
writer's, and Mr.. Geo. W. Hartwell, OF
Cincinnati. Mr.. Tappan is an unlmpeached
and an unimpeaChable witness. u learned
only last fall" said Mr.. Tappan, that
Kissane was still living, and could hard
ly believe it. | have no pecuniary service
and there is no restitution to DE made by
him to me or 10 the Union Mutual lnsur-
ance Company. The company refused to
pay the policy it had written upon part
of the Martha Washingtons cargo and the
conspiratOrs never dared to sue for 1t. IL
any one was entitled to retribution 1t was
our agent, A. Mason, who at
Kissane's instigatiOn was ionlly
ASSAULTED AND LEFT FOR DEAD
on the steps Of the Burnett House Mr
Tappan, after giving a rapid review OF facts
connected with the Martha Washington
case and his connection with 1t, continued;
Il had suspicion that something was wrong
when II. w. Kimball, the brOther-in-law
of Captain Cummings, took out ten
thousand dollar policy with us, so that the
instant heard Ofthe loss about three days
later | telegTaphed to Mr.. Mason, our
agent then in Buffalo, to go to Cincinnati
and investigate the disaster. We spent
about three times the amount of the policy
in battling the conspratOrs. Some Of the
companies paid but Others refused to do
so, and after kissane was sent to Sing Sing
we felt that the finishing stroke could be
given to an organized band Of thieves If
we could learn all about them from kls-
sane. Accordingly went to see
KIssANE IN SING SING
prison. His look when he entered the
Warden's room and saw Inc was that of a
Gagged tiger. Seeing his anger at HE told
him that had come to get him out OF
prison if could on conditions. His man
ner changed instantly and he expressed
entire willingness to denOunce his cOnfed-
crates. On June 23, in company with our
Counsel VIM. NJ. EvartS and Mr.. Geo. w.
Hartwell, went again to see kissane and
he then delivered to us his complete con-
tessiOn. 1t was a specific and complete
acknowledgement of all that we had proven
on the Columbus trial, and no one could
read it in connection with the testimony
given on that trial without seeiRg that
it was a statement of the most damnable
conspiracy that one could imagine.
In accordance with my promise to kisSane,
l called on Governor Clark, and, after
hearing all the facts ne was willing to
grant pardon, which was issued shortly
afterwards. The way in which our copy of
THE CONFESSION DISAPPEARED
was peculiar. In our building on Cedar
and William street we had large loft,
where we stored old papers, ledgerS, jour
nails and other books OF account. We had
as ianitor negro named John Gibbs,
whom we trusted fully. About twenty
five years ago we began to miss articles of
value from the office, and Detective Samp-
son was called in. In a day or two he
caught our trusty Gibbs with a bag full of
torn books at 4 Junk shop. On investiga-
ton we found that Gibbs had sold all our
papers Among the papers stolen and
sold by him was our copy OF the kiSsane
confession. | understand that the copy of
Kissane's confession filed at Albany has
also disappeared. | am satisfied that the
application to dismiss the indictment for
forgery would never have been made on
his behalf, if he had not known positively
that the paper could not he found in the
archives at Albany.
When kiSSanc wrote out his confession
he did it with such rapidity that | made
some remarks about
THE CELEBRITY AND FINISH OF HIS WRIT
ING.
Just write your name for me, he said,
and when had done so he then slashed oil
fac simiIe OF it so perfect that ifI had not
seen him write it | would have declared
that il was my own signature. lie was
undoubtedly one of the most expect for
gers of this country. One OF the most con-
elusive proofs of the accuracy of Kissane's
confession lies in the fact that thencelOr-
ward we never had claim OutiOrward for
the policy we had written. 1t not only
debarred the scoundrels from any further
steps to collect their fraudulent insurance,
hut think it broke up the conspiracy and
put au end to similar attempts by the same
villains ior many years at least Mr.
Tappan's statement is conclusive that
KisSane did confess as stated and it is not
impossible that the missing document itself
will shortly be found